Torching Benapole Express: Police say BNP, Jubo Dal involved
Eight including BNP leader Nabi, 5 Jubo Dal activists arrested
Detectives said they arrested eight persons including Dhaka south city unit BNP joint convener Nabi Ullah Nabi and five Jubo Dal activists, for their involvement in setting fire to the Benapole Express train in Dhaka last night, leaving four passengers dead.
They claimed to have found involvement of BNP and Jubo Dal men in last night's attack.
Nabi Ullah Nabi and Jubo Dal activist Mansur Alam were among the planners and financers of the arson attack on the train, which was planned through a video conference, said Harun-Or-Rashid, chief of detective branch of DMP.
"At least 12-13 Jubo Dal unit leaders including Mansur held a video conference on Thursday around 6:00pm. They planned arson attacks in Kishorganj-Narsingdi and Narayanganj-Kamalapur routes and crude bomb attacks at various polling centres in different wards," Harun said at a press conference at the Dhaka Metropolitan Police media centre.
The DB chief said they recovered clips of the video conference.
"One of them agreed to execute the arson attack on the train," he said.
He said Nabi was not present at the video conference, but was one of the financiers and advisors of the attack.
The six other arrestees are: Iqbal Hossain Swapan, joint convener of Lalbagh thana Jubo Dal; Rasel and Salahuddin, joint conveners of Ward 57 Jubo Dal; Hasan, joint convener of Ward 56 Jubo Dal; Kabir and Delwar.
The planners engaged known criminals for the arson attack, he said, adding detectives got their names and were trying to arrest them.
At least four people were killed and several others were injured as the train was set on fire around 9:00pm in Dhaka.
Meanwhile, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi today denounced the arson attack and said the government was playing with fire to make political gains by blaming the opposition.
He made the remarks while picketing in support of their party's 48-hour hartal that began at 6:00am today to protest against tomorrow's "dummy" election, UNB reports.